Cardinals' Kile dead at 33

Pitcher found dead in Chicago hotel room

RICK GANOAssociated Press

Published Sunday, June 23, 2002

CHICAGO -- St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Darryl Kile was found dead at the team hotel Saturday, Chicago police said. He was 33.

Kile apparently died from natural causes and was found in his bed, said Michael Chasen, commanding officer of the police's Area Three Homicide. There were no signs of forced entry and no signs of foul play, he said.

"It appears he died in his bed, in his sleep," Chasen said.

Dr. Jim Loomis, the Cardinals' assistant team physician, said the 6-foot-5 Kile showed no health problems during a routine physical in spring training.

Loomis said he knew of no history of heart problems for Kile and said the pitcher was not on medication. Kile's father died of a heart attack in his mid-40s in 1993.

An autopsy on the pitcher was planned for Sunday.

The Cardinals' game against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on Saturday was called off by commissioner Bud Selig.

Kile pitched the Cardinals into first place in the NL Central on Tuesday night, the same night longtime broadcaster Jack Buck died at 77 after a long illness.

"This has been a very difficult week with the loss of Jack Buck and now the loss of Darryl Kile," Cardinals general manager Walt Jocketty said. "It is going to be real tough period for the Cardinals organization and the citizens of St. Louis."

La Russa said the Cardinals and Cubs would play as scheduled Sunday night, a game Kile was supposed to start.

"My deepest sympathies go out to Darryl's family, his friends and the St. Louis Cardinals ballclub. All of baseball mourns his passing," Selig said in a statement.

Kile and his wife, Flynn, have 5-year-old twins, a boy and a girl, and a son who was born last August.

Many major league teams paid tribute to Kile before games on Saturday night.

All flags were lowered at Astros Field in Houston and there was a moment of silence at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. The Cardinals flag was at half-staff at Turner Field in Atlanta and two pictures of Kile were put on the scoreboard in Montreal.

Deaths among active baseball players have been rare over the years.

San Diego Padres outfielder Mike Darr was killed in a car crash in February while going to spring training.

Perhaps the most remembered deaths were those of Thurman Munson and Roberto Clemente.

Munson, the New York Yankees' captain, was killed when a plane he was piloting crashed on Aug. 2, 1979. Clemente was killed on Dec. 31, 1972, when his plane carrying relief supplies crashed on the way to Nicaragua.

Cleveland pitchers Steve Olin and Tim Crews were killed after a boating accident on March 22, 1993, during spring training at Winter Haven, Fla. On Nov. 4, 1993, Indians pitcher Cliff Young was killed when his truck crashed in Texas.

Former All-Star infielder Mike Sharperson was killed in a car accident on May 26, 1996, while playing for Triple-A Las Vegas. California Angels star Lyman Bostock was killed in a drive-by shooting in Gary, Ind., on Sept. 23, 1978.

Also, umpire John McSherry collapsed on the field two minutes into Cincinnati's opener on April 1, 1996, and died at a hospital about an hour later.

Police said that at 12:15 p.m. CDT -- more than two hours before gametime -- several Cardinals realized Kile wasn't at the ballpark and called the hotel and asked to check on him.

The hotel security director and maintenance man went to Kile's suite on the 11th floor and had to force their way in because there were safety latches on both the inner and outer doors, said Joe Walsh, head of team security.

Walsh said there was also a "Do Not Disturb" sign on one of the doors. Chicago police estimated that Kile had been in bed 8-to-10 hours, Walsh added.

"The sheets were on, it looked like he was asleep," Loomis said.

Loomis said Kile's brother, Danny, went to dinner with the pitcher on Friday night and Kile was back in the hotel before 10 p.m.

After the death was reported, Loomis said the team asked Danny whether Darryl had complained of any problems.

"He seemed to be fine," Loomis said.

Several stunned players walked out of the Cardinals' clubhouse without comment soon after the game was called.

The Cardinals were scheduled to have a team meeting later Saturday and Loomis said grief counselors would be available.

"I couldn't believe it and I still don't believe it," said Cubs manager Don Baylor, who managed Kile in Colorado. "DK was a very special player. He was always the perfect teammate to all the guys who played with him."

Kile was 5-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 14 games this season.

Shortly after the game was supposed to start at 2:20 p.m., La Russa came out of the dugout and walked across the field to meet with Cubs general manager Andy MacPhail and Cubs player representative Joe Girardi. Then all the Cubs came out of the dugout and got behind Girardi.

Speaking in front of the dugout on a microphone, Girardi told the crowd there had been a "tragedy in the Cardinals' family" and asked fans for their prayers.

La Russa, who'd earlier shaken hands with Baylor, walked back across the field.

The Cubs filed back into their dugout and down the steps into the clubhouse runway and then an official announcement was made in the press box that the game was off and will be made up later.

The teams will make up the game sometime in August.

Kile had won three of his last four starts, and had a solid work ethic.

"Once you take the ball, you've got a job to do," he said after his last start.

Kile, who was 16-11 with a 3.09 ERA and threw 227 1-3 innings last year, had arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder during the offseason.

He pitched a no-hitter while with Houston in 1993 against the New York Mets. He was 133-119 in 11-plus major league seasons and known for an exceptional curveball.

Kile's best season was 2000, when he went 20-9 with a 3.91 ERA in his first year with St. Louis -- finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting. He also helped St. Louis advance to the NL championship series against the Mets that season.

Kile was traded to St. Louis from Colorado, along with pitchers Dave Veres and Luther Hackman on Nov. 16, 1999, for pitchers Jose Jimenez, Manny Aybar and Rick Croushore and infielder Brent Butler.

A 30th-round pick of the Astros in 1987, Kile was called up to the majors in 1991 and went 7-11. He spent his first seven major league seasons with Houston, finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 1997 after going 19-7 with a 2.57 ERA.

Kile signed with Colorado during the offseason and struggled in his two seasons with the Rockies. He led the league in losses with 17 in 1998 and was 21-30 with Colorado.

Montreal third baseman Fernando Tatis played with Kile on the Cardinals and fondly recalled his friend.

"In my mind, I can see Darryl Kile right next to me. We always joked together. I can't believe he's dead," Tatis said before the Expos played Cleveland at Olympic Stadium.

"I have to see it to believe it. We have to realize that he's dead, but in my mind, he's alive because he was one of the greatest," he said.